


Starlight

by Issinder



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Gen, Starlight Celebration (Final Fantasy XIV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 07:55:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17137949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Issinder/pseuds/Issinder
Summary: Cid's Starlight moment with the Ironworks crew.





	Starlight

‘That’s the last one, I think.’

Biggs lifted his head to watch Wedge place the last of the decorations upon their Starlight tree. It truly was a splendid piece of work, if he did say so himself. Wedge wiped the sweat off his brow as he climbed down the ladder. It had been quite a chore to get all the tinsel and glass baubles in, but it was well worth it. The result stood a grand nine fulms high and sparkled up a storm. If both engineers had found themselves suddenly at eight years old again, the pair would have likely let out such cries as ‘whoa’ and ‘oooh’.

Cid walked in from his office to see how the two were getting along with the decorating.  
‘That’s quite a sight, lads. Well done,’ he said, beaming.  
‘You just wait, Chief,’ Wedge said, ‘we’re not done yet. Biggs!’  
‘Right you are,’ the Roe responded, flipping a switch on the small device placed below the tree. A soft hum filled the room as the lights on the tree came to life.  
‘Well, I’ll be damned,’ Cid said. ‘Amazing! Look at all the colours.’  
‘Took us a while to get the right ones,’ Biggs replied, looking up at his handiwork, ‘but it was worth it. Just look at her.’  
‘It’s a Starlight tree for the ages, Biggs,’ Wedge said, patting his friend on the leg.  
‘Awww, thanks Wedge. Couldn’t have done it without those additional parts you managed to find in the nick of time.’  
‘Hang on!’ Wedge cried. ‘We’re missing the- Oh.’  
They both looked at Cid.  
‘Never mind, you’re here now.’  
The Garlean threw them a questioning look. ‘What are you on about, Wedge?’  
The two other engineers looked at each other.  
‘I think we should just show him, Wedge,’ Biggs said. ‘Coeurl’s almost out of the bag anyway.’  
Wedge shrugged. ‘I reckon so. Hang on a mo.’  
Walking over to the pile of unused decorations and empty boxes for the used ones, Wedge pulled out a small wooden box. Cid had noticed the thing but it looked special so he figured he’d leave it alone. From the looks of it, he’d been right. Wedge place the box next to the tree, looked at Cid, took a deep breath and opened it.

‘Is that… me?’  
Wedge took out a small figurine, made from some light material or other, molded in the shape of Cid nan Garlond.  
‘Our first Christmas here without you wasn’t an easy one, Chief,’ Biggs explained as Wedge handed Cid the figure of his own likeness. ‘We were all sure you’d died at Carteneau and that we’d never see you again. Sure, the Ironworks persisted, but without you, well…’  
He left the sentence unfinished as Cid ran the little figurine around in his hand.  
‘No beard.’  
‘You didn’t have one, chief.’ Biggs noted.  
‘No, I- you’re right.’  
‘We can have an up-to-date one made, if you’d like,’ Wedge said. ‘Although, I guess that might be weird now,’ he added, looking a bit forlorn.  
Cid smiled. ‘It won’t look weird if we add the rest of the Ironworks crew.’  
Biggs and Wedge laughed.  
‘Good point, chief,’ the former added. ‘Me, Wedge, Jesse, Ne-’

A hush descended upon the group. Cid frowned but made no objection to the half-formed name.  
‘I wonder where he went,’ Wedge pondered.  
‘He’ll be back eventually,’ Cid shrugged.  
‘It’s just… he’s probably alone right now, right?’ the Lalafell asked to the room at large.  
‘It’s likely,’ Cid mused.  
‘He also put us out of pocket a lot, though,’ Biggs noted in an attempt to redress the balance.  
‘No one deserves to be alone for Starlight,’ Wedge responded in a clipped fashion.  
‘We have no means of contacting him and Nero always does what he pleases,’ Cid replied, slightly frustrated. He remembered the Academy, going home for Starlight, bickering with Nero all the way to the school’s front door where the taller boy would shout something mean at him and Cid’d get into his family carriage positively seething over whatever scathing comment Nero had made. It was only in their last year that he’d realised Nero wasn’t going anywhere. ‘I never invited him,’ he said.  
‘From what you told us he was a pain,’ Wedge replied, ‘and you were both young and cocky, let’s be honest.’  
‘Can’t argue with that.’

The men were quiet for a moment as the atmosphere settled into a kind of acceptance.  
‘Do you think… Jessie’s got wine?’ said Biggs.  
‘She sure does, lads,’ the female engineer said as she brought in a small barrel and placed it on one of the tables. ‘Courtesy of Rowena, if you’ll believe it.’  
‘I don’t believe it,’ Cid replied, ‘but I’ll accept it anyway. Merry Starlight, everyone.’  
Biggs came back with some glasses as Jessie uncorked the barrel.  
‘I don’t think I ever thanked you.’  
Jessie looked up at Cid as he stood there, and for a moment he seemed like a boy to her in his uncertainty, not knowing whether or not his thanks would be accepted, whether or not they were enough.  
She crossed her arms. ‘You didn’t. Not properly.’  
He nodded. ‘I see.’ Cid took a deep breath. ‘I’m sorry, Jesse. I left you and the rest of the Ironworks with a ton of work to do and I wasn’t there to help you.’  
‘It’s not about Carteneau, Cid. You got hit with a severe case of amnesia and nobody blames you for that. What I do blame you for is not taking charge when you finally did come back. I’m still heading the Ironworks. I still have to push paperwork at you and get you to take responsibility for your workshop. It’s called the Garlond Ironworks, not the Jaye Ironworks.’  
Biggs and Wedge held their breath as the two other engineers faced each other.  
‘You’re always chasing some project or other and you forget you’re in charge of so much more than that. I’m an engineer like you and I took over because I had to but… Hells, I don’t know,’ Jessie said, frustrated.  
‘Jess, I know I haven’t pulled my weight in the leadership department, and I’m sorry it ended up on your shoulders. I’ll be better in the future, I promise.’  
Cid was taken aback as a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and the other engineer pushed her cheek into his chest.  
‘I know you will, Cid. I’ll give you hells if you don’t.’  
Cid wrapped his arms around her and they stayed like that for a few moments before Jessie let go of him.  
‘Alright, enough of this cuddly nonsense, let’s get the booze flowing.’ Biggs handed her and Cid a glass and the finally got to sample what Rowena’d so kindly bestowed upon them.  
‘Merry Starlight, everyone,’ Cid said, raising his glass.  
‘Merry Starlight!’  
They all drank.

‘Ha. Well, this is…’ Cid said, nose wrinkled.  
‘It’s Goobbue piss, I’m pretty sure.’  
‘That’s an insult to the Goobbue, Wedge.’  
‘I’ll shoulder the responsibility, should the Goobbue ever choose to exact revenge for my callousness,’ the Lalafell answered.  
‘I can’t believe Rowena would drop this swill on us!’ Jessie fumed. ‘After all we’ve done for the frilly cow!’  
‘It was… probably a mix-up, that’s all,’ Cid sussed. ‘Get these glasses to the kitchen, Wedge.’  
‘Right you are, Chief.’  
‘Don’t you try to make it sound as if she’s not a-’ Jessie said something very impolite.  
‘Excuse me, anyone here?’  
The four engineers turned their heads as one and looked at the courier standing in the door, holding a rather similar-looking barrel.  
‘Yes, we are,’ Jessie said, putting on her Ironworks Representative Face. ‘How can I help you today, girl?’  
‘Well, here’s the thing…’ the young Miqo’te said, unsure of how exactly to phrase it, ‘I… accidentally dropped off the wrong barrel, you see. Didn’t mean to, honest. They just got mixed up, is what it is. Bad labelling at the post office, you know.’  
‘Oh? Do you mean this barrel?’ Jessie responded, pointing at the one they’d uncorked.  
‘Yeah! Yeah, that’s the one. Thank goodness! I was so worried there when I saw what the other barrel was. Good vintage this one, I think.’  
She placed the barrel on the table and recorked the other one. ‘You were this close to drinking Goobbue excretion, but I see you don’t have your glasses out yet. Looks like I got here just in time, eh?’  
Jessie nodded. ‘Yes. You did. Good. I mean, we would have been able to tell, right? Like, it’s not like it’s red or something.’  
The courier leaned over. ‘Actually, it is. Close call. Very close.’ She picked up the barrel and walked back through the front door.

The engineers looked at each other.  
‘I had no idea, I swear,’ said Wedge.  
‘I feel sick,’ said Biggs.  
‘At least we have the actual wine now,’ said Cid.  
‘Typical Rowena and her damned handwriting,’ muttered Jessie. ‘Could have been poisoned for all we knew.’

Cid wasted no time and walked into the kitchen to grab some fresh glasses. He came back, uncorked the new barrel and poured some into a glass. He sipped while the other three looked on.  
‘Is it… wine?’ Biggs asked.  
Cid nodded, licking his lips. ‘It is, and a great vintage too.’  
‘Thank the Twelve,’ Wedge said. ‘Pour us a big glass, would you? I need to rinse the taste of Goobbue juice from the back of my mouth.’

Behind them, the Starlight tree shone its light upon the workshop, with a small Cid figurine lying idle in a box underneath.


End file.
